Lexmark X644e User Guide

PCL emulation commands are multibyte strings (also known as “escape sequences”) 
that begin with the Escape control code (

ESC

, 

← , decimal 27, or hexadecimal 1B). The 

ESC

 control code notifies the printer that the characters that follow are to be interpreted 

as part of a command and are not control codes or data to be printed.

Most PCL emulation commands have the following structure:

ESC

 & a # C

Spaces have been added to this example for readability. The command parameter 
variables are indicated by a number sign (#).

A command parameter sets the value for a command. This value stays constant until 
either a different value resets the command or a command resets the printer to the 
default values. For example, after the printer receives a command that selects a right 

CR

13

0D

Carriage Return

Moves the cursor to the left margin

SP

32

20

Space

Moves the cursor to the right one column

SI

15

0F

Primary Font

Selects the primary font

SO

14

0E

Secondary Font

Selects the secondary font

ESC

Decimal 27 or hex 1B

&

Parameterized character from American National Standard Code for Information 
Interchange (ASCII) table (ranging from 33 to 47 decimal)

a

Group character from ASCII table (ranging from 96 to 126 decimal) that specifies a 
group type of control

#

Decimal character string value within specified numeric ranges; may be preceded by 
a + or - sign and contain a decimal point

C

Termination character from ASCII table (ranging from 64 to 94 decimal)